november 2014 governor's newsletter

NOVEMBER 2014

GREETINGS TO YOU & YOURS. HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL. A month of Blessings and graces. Thank God for letting us see and hear the goodness of the world around us and for being able to serve others. Each day is God’s gift to each of us. What we make of it, is up to us. Each day is an opportunity to touch a life and make a difference in someone’s life. The smile on my face doesn't mean my life is perfect. It means I appreciate what I have and

what God has blessed me with. Touch a life and make a difference! District 1-A lions in these past four months I have visited many clubs and attended region meetings, met many lions, listened to your achievements, your projects and your accomplishments. And I have come to realize that District 1-A YOU ARE the true definition of our motto “WE SERVE”. Hope your Clubs had a good course of action to achieve your fundraising goals. October we all have worked hard at our different spots for Candy Days. From reports I have heard it was a fairly successful one. Don’t forget to file your report with LIF upon conclusion of your campaign. Postmark deadline for a club/zone/region peace posters to reach the District Governor is November 15th. District governor to send one winning Peace Poster entry to the State multiple district council chairperson is December 1st. The Lions of Illinois MD 1 State Leadership Forum will be held November 8th 2013 at the Park Regency Hotel in Bloomington, Ill. The Forum sessions will start at 10am and end at 3pm. Many Lions are working hard to bring a lot of very good information on many different topics. Please come and learn more about Lionism and visit with many Lions from all around the State of Illinois. You will have fun and learn a lot too!

Lions, I am happy to report, all regions (1-6) have completed their 1st region meeting of the year. They did stick to their deadlines. The next 2nd region meeting to be completed by February 15, 2015 an extension because of the holidays. Thank you Region/Zone Chairs in keeping up with the deadlines. I am also happy to report the month of October was also a good membership growth month. As you will see below:

CLUB #0f New New Member's Name Sponsor's Name Year-to-date

Spon'd

Members July - October

2014

Bellwood 3 Jill A Eisele Ted Steiskal 3

Twana Jenkins Ted Steiskal

Peggy Stanko Ted Steiskal

Brookfield LaGrange Park 1 Todd Nyberg Philip Bochniarz 1

Calumet City 1 Ashley Lake Robert Lake 2

Chicago Ecuadorean 1 Juan Carlos Escalante Victor Ortega 1

Chicago FIL-USA 4 David Arroyo Peregrino Patiu 2

Priscilla C Patiu Peregrino Patiu

Jon Christopher Briones Chris Briones 1

Sam Famanas Marilou Delacerda 1

Chicago Heights 1 Emma J. Weathersby Lawrence Weathersby 1

Chgo Mt. Greenwood 1 Mary Young Pam Pomper 1

Chicago Puerto Rico 13 Rafael Alvarado Rafael Alvarado 12

Iris J Alvarado Rafael Alvarado

Nancy Humphrey Rafael Alvarado

Isidro Molina Rafael Alvarado

Fernanda Morgado Rafael Alvarado

Esther J. Perez Rafael Alvarado

Luis A Perez Rafael Alvarado

Amy A Vega Rafael Alvarado

Charles Velazquez Rafael Alvarado

Myra Rodgrguez Rafael Alvarado

Rafael Ruiz Leticia Chaidez 1

Pamela Melinauskas Mary Fitzgibbons 2

Quang V. Nguyen Mary Fitzgibbons

Oak Lawn 1 Robert S Pearson George Pearson 1

Oak Park-Riverson Forest 2 Kris J. Kirkeiner Tina Gaddy 1

Gretchen T. Lane John McParland 1

Palos 3 Sharon Brannigan April Schrader 3

Mike Lebarre April Schrader

Brent Woods April Schrader

Maharlika 1 Jocelyn Cava Zano Rhodora Cava 1

Mayfair 1 Nancy S. Perlman Jerrie Abrahamsen 1

River Grove 6 Kristi Caeti Majorie Manchen 4

Sean Flynn Majorie Manchen

Christine Rice Majorie Manchen

W. Sean Toohey Majorie Manchen

Dana Kovacevich David Guerin 2

Michael Kuras Todd Woods 1

Stickney Forest View 7 Heather Shlah Dan O'Reilly 3

Frank Torres Dan O'Reilly

Leandra M. Torres Dan O'Reilly

Lisa D. Torphy John Torphy 1

Desiree D. White Jeffrey White 1

Ruth Ann Iglinski Rosemarie Guleiva 1

TOTAL FOR OCTOBER 2014 46

-Terry D’Souza, District Governor

Editorial:- PDG Austin D’Souza, Ph.D.

At 8:30 p.m. during our II Cabinet meeting which held on November 6, 2014 at Scottish Home, North Riverside, our Past International Director Dan O’Reilly expressed these words: “New system works, meeting is almost over @ 8:30 p.m.” Yes, in the history of District 1A Cabinet Meetings, this meeting ended very early just because our Governor introduced a change. We had all committee reports well in advance in “Cabinet Newsletter” publication. All cabinet members knew about chairpersons’ report and there were fewer questions. Meeting went on smoothly and quickly even though PID Bud Wahl with his wife Lion Jama attended the meeting to request District 1A support for his run for II International Vice President. Change works if team members work as a team. Even though few did not send their report for publication, everything went on well. This new change will give cabinet members to discuss new issues and focus on District growth – especially in the field of Membership and Leadership.

So far District is 31 plus in membership. If this trend continue till the end of current lionistic year, our District will be plus in membership after many years. Now only thing we need is membership growth and simultaneously some new clubs. There are rumors from Global Membership Team that there are some new clubs in District 1A communities are underway. Yes, we can do it and there is nothing impossible we work as a team to reach our goals as lions.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR CLUBS: THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF

LIONS CLUBS 300 W 22ND STREET OAK BROOK, ILLINOIS

60523-8842 USA TELEPHONE: 630/571-5466 FAX

NO: 630/571-1683

October 28, 2014 Dear Cabinet Treasurer, Please review the information and resources online at: http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/common/pdfs/dg_checklist.pdf. Feel free to refer to it in your communications to club officers. We want to ensure the district team and club officers have the most up to date information that may assist in efforts to grow and maintain current club balances. Your assistance is very important in reinforcing the importance of paying all club balances on a regular and timely basis, updating membership, and reviewing updates on line. Please feel free to contact Accounts Receivable and Club Account Services for assistance. Best regards, Melinda Plott Accounts Receivable and Club Account Services Manager Melinda.plott@lionsclubs.org Payment receipt concerns: accountsreceivable@lionsclubs.org 630-203-3810

Billing and club account status: membershipbilling@lionsclubs.org 630-203-3820 On line registration and payment: www.lionsclubs.org click MyLCI/Submit Reports DG Check list for Club Account Status Review

DG RECAPS are emailed to you at the beginning of each month, reflecting club aging.

Encourage club officers to register online. Treasurers can pay online if the club approves.

Clubs can pay online by visiting www.lionsclubs.org. Click the “submit reports” link, after logging in, click CLUB, STATEMENT followed by PAY NOW. You may pay by Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express credit. Debit cards are accepted.

Club balances should be paid according to the terms established by the association; however, to avoid suspension, balances should be paid no later than 90 days after billing.

Club balances outstanding beyond 120 days can cause clubs to be placed on suspension if balances are equal to or exceeding US$20/member or $1,000, whichever is less over 120 days.

Anticipated high risk of suspension in November and May can be avoided with prompt club payments.

High cancellation rates can be avoided in December and June if payments are received prior to the 29th of the month following suspension.

Clubs can be reactivated within 12 months following cancellation, if eligible. Full payment along with a Reactivation Report is required, signed by you.

Club Treasurers can view statements online and avoid mailing delays. Please encourage club treasurers to check the opt-out option on the

association’s website to discontinue receiving mailed club statements.

Clubs in Good Standing are eligible to participate in local elections. The current dues billing must be paid leaving no International dues and fees greater than US$10.00 unpaid and balances over 90 days must not exceed US$50.00.

Beginning July 1, 2015, clubs will

automatically be placed on Financial Suspension if balances beyond 90 days are equal to or exceeding US$20/member or $1,000 or greater, and cancellation will occur after the 28th of the month following suspension if full payment is not received. As a result, anticipated high suspension will be reported in October and April. Also, clubs canceled more than twice

will be ineligible for reactivation.

The first quarter of the 2014-2015

year is almost over. In this month's

article I would like to talk about our

first quarter membership. The

numbers that I have are to

10/20/2014. We still have a few more days to go before

the quarter closes. These numbers may change as the

final tally comes out on October 31st. Here are a few

thoughts that I would like to share with you.

During the first quarter (July 2014 to October 2014) 47

new members were added to 15 clubs in our district.

We dropped 45 members from 17 clubs and 6 members

passed away. If we do the math, we have a negative

growth for the first quarter of the year.

We cannot do much about the passing on of our older

Lions. It is reflection of the age distribution

demographic in our district. As leaders and Lions we try

to replace these Lions with new Lions so we can

continue our mission.

The drop members are areas we need to work harder

at. When I look at the numbers, a majority of the drops

are due to nonpayment of dues and nonattendance.

This indicates that we need to do better at the club

level for orientation, sponsorship and mentorship for

members so we can reduce these numbers and keep

the members we have worked hard to recruit. Here are

a few questions we have to ask ourselves when it comes

to doing our part in reducing the drops within the

district. There are probably more that could be asked.

But let's start with these.

Does your club have a retention and

mentorship program in place?

Do the sponsors of new members understand

their roles regarding their relationship with the

sponsored member in keeping them involved in

club activities and meetings?

When a member leaves our association do we

advise them that they are always welcomed to

come back when they are ready?

If you have answered YES to these questions, then you

have done what is needed to reduce the drops. If your

answers are NO then you have some work to do. These

are just a few of the questions that need to be asked.

Each of them needs to be answered by each club

individually so that they can stabilize their membership

and grow their clubs and the district. Recruitment is

only one piece of the puzzle; the other pieces are

Orientation, Mentorship and Retention. They all fit

together to form a solid foundation and building blocks

for a great club

One of my duties as First VDG is to help coordinate and

work with our District GMT Coordinator. Lion PDG

Harold Burkett is our District GMT Coordinator. It is my

contention that he has the toughest job in this district. I

applaud him for standing up and taking on this role.

Lion PDG Harold and I have recruited a few Lions in our

district to join us in developing plans and options to

stabilize and grow the district over the next three years.

He needs our help and he needs a few more lions

especially from the southern part of our district to help

him move this district forward. Please feel free to

contact Lion Harold (harold.burkett@att.net) or Lion

Ralph Zarada (ralph.zarada.1a@gmail.com) if you want

to join this team.

Just a few more random thoughts before I close.

We have an opening for the Second VDG for the 2015-

2016 leadership years. I have not heard of anybody

throwing their hat into the ring. If you are interested in

getting into an executive leadership role on the cabinet,

please share your intention with any of the officers on

the cabinet so that you can be prepared to assume the

role. The district needs leaders and it is important that

we maintain the succession of leaders in the district.

The Mid Year Forum date and venue has been set. It is

January 24th, 2015 at Moraine Valley Community

College 10900 S 88th Ave, Palos Hills, IL 60465. The

hours will be from 8:30am to 2:30pm. Below is the

trademark logo and pin that we have designed. Many

thanks to Lion Rich Polanek of the Elmwood Park

Montclare Lions for helping with the design.

All attendees to the forum will receive one. We are

putting together a series of topics and presenters in a

classroom format. The Lion who attends the forum will

be able to choose the topic(s) he or she would like to

attend. We will have a continental breakfast. We will

also have lunch with a keynote speaker and afternoon

workshops for Social Media, Membership and

Roundtable discussions for RC/ZC and Presidents.

Mark your calendars MY Forum January 24th, 2015.

More info to follow.

In Lionism,

-Lion Ralph Zarada, First VGD District 1A

Lions Clubs International Peace Poster Contest

You are invited to submit a Peace Poster created by a student

from a local school, or organization. Please consider obtaining

the information about this worthwhile contest. If you need

additional information you can contact Lion Rex Nyquist,

Chairman from District 1A Lions at historytennis@yahoo.com.

Posters need to be submitted for

consideration to Governor Terry D’Souza by Nov. 15th, 2014.

Please contact Lion Rex @ 847-824-5540 or Gov. Terry @

708-771-3177 or email at

teamterry@gmail.com

*

LIGHTS ON AFTER SCHOOL COMMUNITY SERVICE EVENT

Launched in October 2000, Lights On After School is the only nationwide event celebrating afterschool programs and their important role in the lives of children, families and communi- ties. The effort has become a hallmark of the afterschool movement and generates media coverage across the country each year. The Afterschool Alliance organizes Lights On After- school to draw attention to the many ways afterschool pro- grams support students by offering them opportunities to learn new things—such as science, community service, robot- ics, Tae Kwon Do and poetry—and discover new skills. The events send a powerful message that millions more kids need quality afterschool programs And so, Lion Georg Toft, Lion Judy Toft and almost new Lion Nancy Perlman came to the Albany Park Community Center on Thursday Afternoon, October 23rd and became a part of the Lights On After School Program and—what a treat! To be able to read to the kindergarten kids was definitely a highlight of remembering why we were lions! The kids were a part of the 40 different languages spoken at the Center and were more than excited that someone had brought some very special things for them to be a part of—it was like a 100 watt light b ulb turning on at full wattage. When they were told there were Halloween stories to read the excitement ramped up even higher. They all sat on the floor in a round circle and waited very patiently for Nancy to read “Pinkalicious” a Halloween about a young girl in a town were all the electricity went out and how she saved the town. All the girls wanted to be Pinkalicious.l When they found out about the Halloween book marks and they had to make them all by themselves the excitement rolled around the room. The girls all wanted the witches and the boys were happy with the monster or wolfman. It took about 15 minutes to complete the bookmarks and try them out in the books to make sure they worked and they could take them home with them.

We brought four Halloween books with is to read to the kids as part of an after school program at the community center our Lions Club supports and my first book to read, picked by the kids was about an old lady that was not afraid of any- thing. I plunged in to the task, reading the first pages and then showing the pictures to the group. The book was about walking down a dark path at night and suddenly the old lady heard a sound, Clump-clump, she was being followed by a pair of shoes. I had all the kids say Clump-clump and then went to find she was followed in order by a pair of pants that went Wiggle-Wiggle, a shirt that went Swish-swish, a black hat that went Tip-tip and finally a carved pumpkin that yelled BOO! As each new sound was made the kids all joined in shouting the words for each thing that followed the old lady home. This ain’t so bad I thought, as I neared the end of the story, three young ladies joined me to hold up the book and show the pictures, guess I was not doing it right. I asked one of the girls if she could read the words on the page, to my surprise she started to read the words one at a time. So I finished the story, the old lady made a scare- crow of the items that followed her home and the pumpkin head was happy and did not say Boo anymore unless a crow came by, my helpers sat down and I again felt inside why I am a Lion. Then we made Halloween book marks the club bought the kits for the kids, and we spent the next half hour making witches, monsters and werewolf’s, the teachers put the kids names on their crafts and as we left I got some high fives and a hug from one of my helpers. One of the moms was standing the doorway

watching, a smile on her face, as I walked by she

whispered Thank You. Her smile and thanks was

probably the best gift I have re- ceived in a long

time. I will remember it always.

teacher got in the game!.

Lion Judy did the second book “The Night Before

Halloween” which totally mesmerized them as they

got into the sounds of the book. After that was over

we all took turns telling what we did on Halloween

when we were their age—even their

Lion George described his

being in a room with 17

INVITE VETERANS TO YOUR CLUB!

little kids all by himself. “Imagine if you will, 17 pairs of

excited eyes staring at you, 17 big smiles, all missing

their two front teeth; sitting on the “story rug” hands

folded in their laps waiting for you to make a fool of

yourself. I had some concerns, the

last time I read to a five year old was over thirty five

years ago and now 17 of them faced me, waiting.

BY: PCC GEORG TOFT AND PCST JUDY TOFT—MAYFAIR LIONS CLUB

Dear Lion,

Veterans Day is Tuesday, November 11 th and is a

time for all of us to pay tribute to the men and

women that have served our country. Make plans

now to reach out to veterans and offer them the

opportunity to continue to make a difference and

change lives in their community.

The Involve a U.S. Veteran program waives the

charter or entrance fee for any qualifying veteran

who joins a new or existing Lions club. Eligible

veterans include retired U.S. military personnel or

honorably-discharged members of the Air Force,

Army, Coast Guard Services, Marines, National

Guard, Navy or Reserves. Those currently

serving in the National Guard or Reserves are

also eligible. This special pilot program is offered

only in the United States.

As service members leave the military and come

home, Lions clubs provide them an opportunity to

get involved in their communities and serve. Visit

the Involve a U.S. Veteran Web page to learn

more about this special program. You can

download a fact sheet, promotional flyer,

certification form and a sample press release to

help promote your Lions club.

Sincerely,

Scott Drumheller

Executive Administrator & Secretary

Lions Clubs International

Lions Clubs International & LCIF | 300 W. 22nd St. | Oak

Brook, IL | 60523 | USA

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Greetings Fellow District 1-A Lions,

Your Convention Committee has already started

to put together the 2015 District 1-A Convention.

The dates of the convention are March 27

through March 29, 2015. Governor Terry has

decided that her convention theme will be

“Who’s Your Superhero?” The convention logo is

pictured above and the committee would like to

thank Lion Rich Polanek for designing the logo

again this year.

As your Convention Chairman, I will be asking the

Cabinet at its meeting on November 6th to

approve a convention registration and meal

package of $85.00 again this year. The committee

has budgeted the convention so that there would

not have to be a price increase. We will again

hold our convention at the Westin Chicago

Northwest Hotel in Itasca, Illinois. The room rate

this year will be the same as last year, $85.00 and

that reservation has to be made with the hotel.

The Convention International Guest this year will

be First Year Director Karla Harris from

Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

As usual, we will conduct the business of the

District by electing our new district officials,

distributing awards, and hearing our foundation

reports. Speaking of District Officers, we are

seeking qualified Lions to run for the positions of

2nd Vice District Governor, Lions of Illinois

Foundation Trustee and three Directors for

V.O.I.C.E.S. You can contact Cabinet Secretary

Brenda Block at csblock1a@aol.com with your

intentions to run for an office. She will help you

to file the necessary paperwork with the district.

If you have any questions about the convention,

feel free to contact any of the following chairmen:

PDG Steve Anton, Convention Chairman

santonlions@comcast.net

PDG Harold Burkett, Convention Co-Chairman

harold.burkett@att.net

PCST Dawn Grogan, Convention Co-Chairman

dgrogan498@aol.com

Thank you,

-PDG Steve Anton

District 1-A Convention Chairman

UPCOMING EVENTS IN DISTRICT 1A

CHRISTMAS PARTY ON DECEMBER 7, 2014 AT FOUR POINTS BY HOTEL SHERATON CHICAGO O’HARE AIRPORT, 10249 W. IRVING PARK ROAD, SCHILLER PARK, IL 60176. ADMISSION IS ONLY $28 WITH FREE WINE ON TABLE AND CASH BAR. THE PARTY IS FROM 12 TO 4 P.M. WITH SANTA’S ARRIVAL. FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL ZC GAIL ANTON – 708-479-4779 OR E-MAIL: anton173@comcast.net

MY FORUM ON JANUARY 24, 2015 AT MORAINE VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, 9000 W. COLLEGE PARKWAY, PALOS HILLS, IL 60465. ADMISSION $25 PER PERSON WITH CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST AND LUNCH. FREE SEMINARS AND KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT LUNCH. FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL I VDG RALPH ZARADA – 708-357-1984 OR E-MAIL: ralph.zarada.1a@gmail.com

BOWLING ON FEBRUARY FEBRUARY 21, 2015 AT WILLOWBROOK LANES, 735 PLAINFIELD ROAD, WILLOWBROOK, IL 60527. FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL LION LEILANIE MAGANA – 773-425-1747 OR E-MAIL: hawaii218@gmail.com

CONVENTION – THE WESTIN CHICAGO NORTHWEST, 400 PARK BLVD., ITASCA, IL 64143. FROM MARCH 27 TO 29, 2015. LOTS OF FUN WITH THEME “WHO IS YOUR SUPER HERO?” FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: PDG STEVE ANTON – 708-514-4215 OR E-MAIL: santonlions@comcast.net

HOLD YOUR CLUB’S GOVERNOR’S VISIT ASAP! CALL GOVERNOR TERY@708-785-0286 TO SCHEDUE AN APPOINTMENT. LESS THAN 8 MONTHS LEFT AND YOU SHOULD HURRY UP

NOW!! DO NOT FORGET TO INVITE YOUR RC AND ZC FOR THE EVENT.

DISTRICT 1A WEBSITE: lions1a-us.org. DO NOT FORGET TO VISIT OFTEN FOR UPTO DATE INFORMATION

Governor’s Newsletter Edited & Published by PDG Austin D’Souza, Phd., govaustin@gmail.com for District 1A Lions.